There are a number of areas of research possessing varying degrees of relevancy to the present study. The central problem in this investigation is the relationship of early to final impressions and though such studies reported by Allport (1937), and the more recent one of Gage (1952), are concerned with quickly formed impressions they have little relevance as they are concerned with relating impressions to external criteria. The investigations of Allport and Vernon (1932) and Wolff (1943) dealing with the congruence of different modes of expressive behaviour would be of interest if the task was that of analyzing the bases of early impressions. These, together with such research as Magson (1929), and Wolf and Murray (1937), which yield evidence concerning the kinds of valid judgments which may be made on the basis of observation will take on additional significance if it can be shown that early observations create impressions which carry important weight in the final outcome of the interview. Research in the applied field concerning the employment interview is naturally suggested in view of the primary interest of this investigation. This proved to be disappointing in terms of providing a foundation upon which the present study might be built. A brief account of the work 1n this field is given not because it aids in the interpretation of these experimental results but, rather, to point out the implications of the point of view presented by this study for what has already been done in the field. [...]

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This research was conducted to determine the influence of recruiters' perceptions on students' demonstration of emotional and social competencies during the interview process and if employers' perceptions factor into decisions regarding advancement to second round interviews. This is a pilot study and the research investigated the importance of social and emotional competencies. This study is strengthened by the use of "real" interviews and immediate collection of employer perceptions. This is a case study using mixed methodology, specifically triangulation, to examine employers' perceptions of students' emotional/social competencies demonstrated during face to face interviews. These competencies included: ability to demonstrate meeting or exceeding goals, articulate strengths and weaknesses, demonstrate composure, demonstrate active listening skills, and build rapport. In a correlation analysis there was a significant correlation in two competencies that factored into students being invited to a second round interview. These competencies were the ability to articulate strengths and weaknesses and ability to demonstrate active listening skills. Additionally, while recruiters in this study indicated they either were aware of differences in culture or did not take cultural differences into consideration when making decisions for second round interviews, the results seem to show that culture was a factor.

The rapport building phase of child investigative interviewing is referred to in practice guidelines as an essential. Nevertheless, in contrast with other aspects of the interview it has been subject to little empirical examination. There is a lack of information on the rapport phase’s impact on children’s communication and whether this changes across a variety of different circumstances. Finally, few researchers have empirically assessed different styles of rapport building. This thesis investigates the communicative influence of the rapport building phase in child investigative interviews. It also examines the effectiveness of a new collaborative play approach to rapport building with respect to its influence on children’s communication and the rapport levels between the interviewer and child. The investigation began by interviewing practitioners about their perceptions and experiences of rapport building practice, and their opinions on the use of play during the rapport phase. A grounded theory approach to analysis found that interviewers perceive the rapport phase as a tool for facilitating communication with children during the investigative interview. This is achieved in three main ways: (1) assessing the child during the rapport phase, (2) adjusting interview approach based on the child’s presentation during the rapport phase, and (3) producing a psychological outcome in the child that then facilitates communication. The resultant theory and the comments made about play rapport were used in subsequent experimental chapters to design and implement play rapport, and to interpret the empirical findings. The second line of enquiry investigated the communicative impact of a collaborative play approach to rapport building in adult-child interactions. Children across three different age groups (6-7, 8-10 & 12-14 year olds) were more communicative and demonstrated greater rapport with an adult after play rapport than children in a control condition. The findings indicate that a collaborative play format of rapport building is an effective communication facilitator. The third empirical study tested play rapport’s efficacy in a mock investigative interview situation. It was compared with the current open style of rapport building used by practitioners in the UK, and a control condition that involved no rapport phase. Older children (8-10 year olds) who experienced play rapport demonstrated information benefits in comparison with children in the control condition. No differences were found between the open style and the control, and the open style and play rapport for information detail or accuracy. Children (5-7 and 8-10 year olds) were however, more resistance to interviewer suggestion after engaging in a play rapport phase in comparison with children who experienced the open style of rapport building. These results indicate the potential of play rapport as a communication facilitator for children in investigative interview settings. The final empirical chapter examined anxiety data taken from the children during the third study. This was to address the hypothesis that improvements in recall as a result of the rapport phase, and in particular play rapport, were due to a reduction in the children’s anxiety levels. The data showed no differences across the rapport protocols in terms of anxiety for any of the measures. The information benefits found could therefore not be explained with respect to a reduction in anxiety. Alternative theories were then proposed, and future research outlined that could further investigate the psychological underpinnings of the communicative effects of the rapport phase, and the collaborative play rapport approach.

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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Initial research on structuring the interview process investigated structure’s impact on the interview’s psychometric properties (e.g., reliability and validity). In contrast, the empirical literature has begun to consider the impact of increased interview structure on job applicant reactions to the interview and the companies that utilize them. Current research has studied the effects of interviewer characteristics on applicant reactions and the effects of different types of selection procedures on applicant fairness reactions. In addition, while studies have examined the impact of applicants’ perceived control on their reactions to selection procedures, few studies have examined this impact specifically for the employment interview. Given the widespread use of the interview in selection, this study adds to current research by focusing on applicant reactions to four elements of the interview identified as being salient to applicants (i.e., the degree to which the interviewee perceives that applicants are asked the same questions, the use of situational or behavioral type questions, controlling the use of ancillary information by the interviewer, and the degree to which questions from the applicant are controlled). In addition, this study focused on need for control as a moderator of the relationships between interview structure and fairness perceptions, recommendation intentions, and acceptance intentions. Participants consisted of 161 students voluntarily participating in three different interviewing scenarios: unstructured, semi-structured, and structured interviewing scenario. The participants completed post-interview measures asking them about their perceptions of fairness, their intention to recommend the company to others, and their intention of accepting an offer if one is made by the company. Although the hypothesized relationships between elements of structure and applicant evaluations of the interview were largely not supported, the results did indicate that student applicants perceived semi-structured and structured interviews to be fairer than unstructured interviews. In addition, the results suggest that more structured interviews may lead to lower behavioral intent to recommend the job to others or accept a job offer. Implications of the results are discussed in terms of how interview structure relates to the candidates’ perception of fairness, recommendation intentions, and acceptance intentions.